Editorial: Is this the best for downtown?

Published 8:03 pm, Monday, January 28, 2013

THE ISSUE:

The bills mount, but there's no Albany convention center in sight.

THE STAKES:

Is this still the best vision for the heart of the city?

It's been more than eight years and four governors since Albany and New York state set about trying to create a downtown convention center. To say this project is moving at a snail's pace would be an insult to escargot.

The question, though, really isn't what's taking so long. It's whether this project is really what's best for the site, best for Albany, and best for New York. Asking that question, while there's still time to change course, shouldn't be seen as a change of heart. Rather, it's recognition that it's time for an honest assessment of whether Albany is fully committed to this project — whether it wants to move ahead with real speed — or not.

Just because a convention center isn't being built at the moment doesn't mean there isn't a public cost. In dollars and cents, it cost more than a quarter-million dollars last year just in upkeep, snowplowing, and rental losses on the land the Albany Convention Center Authority has assembled. Land that might otherwise be paying taxes is now tax-exempt. The advantage of building when interest rates are low won't last forever.

While all that could certainly be viewed as part of the cost of gearing up for a major project, the problem is that the convention center, a hotel, and all that was to come with it are still nowhere in sight. And every year they seem less certain.

Moreover, having declared these six acres reserved for a specific project, the city and the state long ago closed the door to any other ideas, perhaps including some that might be more achievable or creative.

The one upside of having not yet turned a shovelful of earth on this project is that the city and state can still ask: Is a convention center the right project for this site? Does this chunk of urban real estate present possibilities that weren't considered years ago? Are there commercial possibilities? Residential? Cultural? Some or all of the above?

Mayor Jerry Jennings opened the door to that discussion last fall, though only a wee bit, when he expressed skepticism that the state would come through with the full $220 million it once said it would put into the project. If only the mayor would take his musings to the next step, and turn them into a full and frank discussion.

What's needed is mayoral leadership. Mr. Jennings should bring together his planners and the community, especially businesses and residents with the most direct stake in downtown's future, to see if this is, indeed, still the direction Albany wants to go. He also should bring in broader groups, including the Capital Region Economic Development Council, the panel charged with devising a regional application for state economic development funds.

Maybe it will turn out that a convention center remains the best alternative for the city's future. Its promises of bringing more people to Albany and filling a need for state-of-the-art meeting space in New York's capital city may still be as compelling as they once were. Albany shouldn't have to be fearful that raising the question means throwing in the towel, or risking the state's support.

But the city would benefit from a reality check — or, you might say, a vision check. It's time to ask if the convention center isn't moving quicker because its time hasn't come, or if its time has passed.